Message of sympathy and solidarity

31 March 2005

Letter to the WCC member churches in the Philippines, 31 March, 2005

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We send you warm and cordial greetings in the name of our common Lord andSaviour.

We have received with shock the reports of abductions, detentions withoutwarrants and extrajudicial killings that have taken place in the province of Tarlacwhere workers and peasants in Hacienda Luisita have been on strike. The unrestin the province began November last, as a result of the killing of seven strikingworkers by the security forces. We appreciate the work of the members of theclergy and human right defenders who have accompanied and supported the strikingworkers and their families despite consistent harassment and intimidation bythe security forces.

The recent killing of Fr William Tadena, of the Philippines Independent Churchand the Chairperson of the diocesan Committee for Social Action and Human Rightshas come to us as a great shock. Fr Tadena was a strong supporter of the strikingworkers in Hacienda Luisita and an outspoken critic of militarization in the provinceof Tarlac. We express our profound distress at these developments in Tarlac provincethat have resulted in loss of lives and suffering of the people. Kindly convey to thefamilies of the victims of violence our sympathy. May our Lord give comfort andstrength to the bereaved. Your commendable witness in the midst of this criticalsituation is an example for all of us. We pray for you and with you as you continueto work towards our common calling for human rights, justice and peace.

We have accordingly called on Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,President of the Philippines, to direct the Philippines National Police and the localgovernment of the province of Tarlac to conduct an independent and speedy investigationinto this tragic incident. The authorities concerned should take immediatesteps to arrest those responsible for this brutal assassination and to ensure that theculprits are brought before a court of law to stand trial for the crime committed.